Part IV- Room Exchange
Upon waking rather late the next morning Zuko nearly had a heart attack as he found Aang in his bed. Even after he remembered why the Avatar was there, it still took a while for him to calm down. He was increasingly grateful that both of them had kept on their sides of the bed. He was already changed by the time Aang woke up but he waited until the younger boy was ready so they both went down to breakfast together. It was a little awkward, but not as much as the night before. He suspected in a few days they would get over it.
Breakfast was less formal and filled with a lot more teasing than supper had been. Suki and Sokka's faces seemed to be permanently red all through the meal. Toph didn't try to take a jab at Zuko until after the meal, however. She came out to the balcony where he was standing and he could tell at once by her grin that she was about to give him a grilling.
"How was last night?" she asked, sounding innocent.
"Restful," he replied firmly. "I fell asleep as soon as I got to the room."
"Pity, poor Aang must have been lonely." When he didn't reply she started again. "What was it like having him in your bed?"
"Jealous?" he shot back, shocked when she actually flushed. "Wait, you're jealous? But I thought Katara…"
"They broke up," Toph said quietly.
"Oh… Oh!" Zuko watched her blush, silent now as she hung her head.
Then a servant came outside looking for him and he left to go and deal with the small problem. As soon as the servant was gone the next person was in front of him. This time it was Katara.
"Hey," she said, giving him a distracted smile as she looked over her shoulder at Aang.
Zuko raised his eyebrow at her.
"What's that look for?" he asked.
She sighed and fidgeted.
"Aang's… Well he's…"
"Jealous it's you sharing a room with Toph instead of him?" Zuko tried.
She gaped at him, completely taken off guard. Zuko couldn't help but smirk.
"How did you…?"
"Lucky guess. And Toph told me she feels the same way."
"Really? So they both want to share a room with each other?"
"They want to be just like Sokka and Suki," Zuko snorted, making her giggle.
"What're you too gossiping about?" Toph asked, appearing at their side.
Aang, spotting her, came over too.
"You two," Zuko said honestly.
"What about us?" Aang asked.
"How you're whining that you want to be together in a room."
Toph gasped, her face cracking into a grin.
"Does this mean that Katara is going to swap with Aang?"
"What? No! We-"
"You two are the best!" Aang cried, cutting a very shocked Zuko off in mid sentence.
"We're not swapping!" Katara yelped, looking utterly horrified. The two didn't pay attention to her.
"This is great! C'mon, Twinkle Toes, let's move your stuff to my room."
The Waterbender and Firebender turned slowly to look at each other in pure mortification and horror.
Agni life hates me…
-x-x-x-
Katara's mouth didn't seem able to close.
"This is your room?" she said weakly. "It's the size of my house back in the South Pole!"
"Don't blame me, my father built it," Zuko said, somehow feeling uncomfortable at her scrutinising look.
He grabbed two pillows from his bed and a blanket from the closet and threw them onto the couch that faced the window.
"You can put your things in and on top of that cupboard," he said awkwardly, pointing to the large beside cabinet.
She looked confused.
"But aren't I sleeping there?" she asked, pointing to the couch.
"Uncle would get an aneurysm if he heard I was making a lady sleep on the couch," Zuko muttered.
"Did you put a mocking tone on the word 'lady'?" her eyes narrowed.
"No," Zuko growled, annoyed.
"Yes, you did! You said 'lady' in a mocking tone!"
"You're hearing things," he shot back.
"So now I'm crazy?" She glared at him.
"If the shoe fits…"
She glared even harder at him and he glared back. Suddenly her shoulders slumped.
"I'd forgotten how we could work each other up."
"At least it got better after… What was it that Sokka called it again? Oh right, our 'little ninja expedition'."
She smiled despite herself, remembering how she had forgiven him that day. She looked at him and saw him as she had before she had hugged him: as a good friend. Then her smile wavered slightly.
"Toph told me you had no luck finding her," she said softly.
"Not yet," he said just as quietly.
He looked away, out of the window, his hands curling into fists. Her expression turned sympathetic. She knew better than anyone how he felt. Finding out your dead mother is actually alive and then being unable to find her… She winced as she imagined how that must feel. Knowing your mother was dead was bad enough. Zuko got up.
"I'm… uh… going to go feed the turtleducks," he muttered.
She let him go, knowing he needed to be alone. In the empty, vast room she unpacked what little possessions she had brought along and then changed out of her Water Tribe outfit into the Fire Nation one Iroh had sent her. It was much like the one she had stolen, except it was made of finer material. She was pulling her hair up into the style she had worn before with the red clothing but changed her mind and left her brown locks loose. On her way out she stopped by the kitchen and picked up some breadcrumbs.
"Need more bread?" she asked Zuko as she approached him sitting on the pond's bank.
He started and looked at her in surprise, blinking a few times.
"You changed your clothes…"
"Iroh sent us all some Fire Nation clothing. He said it would help us feel more at home."
"I see…"
He took a handful of bread when she offered him and for a long time they sat in silence, feeding and watching the turtleducks.
"You look good in them," Zuko murmured out of the blue.
Katara blinked at him in surprise and then blushed.
-x-x-x-
"What do you mean, you swapped rooms? Katara is sleeping in Zuko's room?" Sokka was freaking out.
"Would you please relax, he's sleeping on the couch," Katara frowned at her brother.
"But… you… Him… Same room…" Sokka spluttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Sokka, sweetie, there's nothing to worry about," Suki soothed him. "Zuko's doing us a great favour giving Katara a place to stay."
Under her soothing words and light touched Sokka calmed down, much like an agitated animal.
"And do you really think Katara is helpless? If, in some fit of madness, Zuko did attack her she'd Waterbend the crap out of him," Toph added when he was calm.
"Jee, thanks," Zuko said dryly.
"I suppose," Sokka sighed, giving in. "Besides, it's not like they want to sleep together or anything."
Nobody noticed Zuko and Katara's blush but Toph did pick up on a strange change in their heart rhythms.
